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If you were lurking around Japanese gaming magazines in 1999, you probably remember the confusion. Screenshots of a flat, cardboard-thin Mario were circulating under the title Mario Story. It looked weird. It looked like a pop-up book that someone had accidentally sat on. But for those of us in the West, that game eventually landed on the Nintendo 64 as Paper Mario, and honestly, the RPG genre hasn't been the same since.
Nintendo didn't just decide to make Mario flat for the sake of a gimmick. The development of Mario Story Paper Mario—as it is known in its dual-identity history—was actually born out of a messy breakup between Nintendo and Square. After the massive success of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES, fans expected a direct sequel. Instead, Square went off to make Final Fantasy VII for Sony, leaving Nintendo with a massive hole in their lineup and a desperate need for a new way to handle the Mushroom Kingdom.
What Intelligent Systems (the folks behind Fire Emblem) did next was legendary. They didn't try to out-Square Square. They went the opposite direction.
Why the Mario Story Paper Mario Name Matters
In Japan, the game is still called Mario Story. It’s a simple title, but it captures the vibe perfectly. It feels like a fable. The Western name, Paper Mario, focuses on the art style, but the original intent was all about the narrative structure. You aren't just playing a platformer; you’re flipping through the pages of a living history of the Mushroom Kingdom.
It’s easy to forget how risky this was. At the time, every game was racing toward "realistic" 3D. The N64 was the console of GoldenEye and Ocarina of Time. Pushing a game that looked like a 2D scrap-book was almost a middle finger to the industry's obsession with polygons.
The Combat That Fixed the RPG Grind
Most RPGs back then were a slog. You’d select "Attack," wait for a bar to fill, and watch a canned animation. Paper Mario changed that with "Action Commands." If you timed your button press right, you did more damage. Simple. Brilliant. It kept your hands busy and your brain engaged.
Think about the "Badge" system for a second. It's essentially a precursor to the modern "build" mechanics we see in games like Hollow Knight. You have a limited number of Badge Points (BP). Do you spend them on a "Power Bounce" to deal massive damage to a single boss? Or do you equip "Spike Shield" so you can jump on those annoying Clefts without losing health? This layer of customization meant no two players had the exact same experience. It turned a "kinda cute" game into a deep tactical exercise.
The Partners Who Stole the Show
We have to talk about the partners. In the original Mario Story, these weren't just secondary characters. They were the heart of the game. Goombario, Kooper, Bombette—they all had lives. They had houses in Toad Town. They had personalities that occasionally clashed with the stoic silence of Mario himself.
Take Lady Bow. She’s a Boo. Traditionally, Boos are the enemies. But here, she’s a high-class, slightly bratty aristocrat who decides to help you because it suits her interests. This was the first time Nintendo really started deconstructing their own tropes. They showed us that the Mushroom Kingdom wasn't just a series of obstacle courses; it was a society.
The writing was sharp. It was funny. It wasn't afraid to be a little bit weird or even slightly dark. Who could forget the mystery of the Penguin murder on Shiver Mountain? Or the fact that you basically have to bake a cake for a gluttonous Shy Guy boss? This level of charm is why people still emulate the original N64 version today, despite the numerous sequels that have followed.
The Controversy of the "Paper" Aesthetic
There is a long-standing debate among hardcore fans regarding how the "paper" aspect evolved. In the original Mario Story Paper Mario, the paper look was mostly a visual style. Mario just happened to be flat. Characters didn't constantly make paper puns. They didn't turn into airplanes or boats every five seconds because they were made of cellulose.
Fast forward to the newer entries like Sticker Star or The Origami King, and the "paper" thing became the entire plot. Many fans feel this ruined the immersion. In the N64 original, the paper look was a stylistic choice that enhanced the "storybook" feel without breaking the fourth wall every two minutes. It felt like a world that just happened to look that way, rather than a world that knew it was a craft project.
Technical Wizardry on the N64
The N64 struggled with 2D sprites. It was a machine built for 3D math. To make Paper Mario work, Intelligent Systems had to get creative. The game actually uses a mix of 2D character sprites moving through 3D environments, but the environments themselves often use clever textures to mimic a 2D look.
It was a masterclass in optimization. The game’s frame rate is remarkably stable compared to other N64 titles. The load times—traditionally a nightmare for disc-based RPGs on the PS1—were non-existent because of the cartridge format. This made the pacing feel snappy. You could jump from a battle back to exploration in seconds.
What People Get Wrong About the Difficulty
Some people dismiss Paper Mario as "Baby’s First RPG." That’s a mistake. While the early game is definitely accessible, the endgame content—especially the optional "Master" battles at the Dojo or the later floors of Bowser's Castle—requires genuine strategy. If you don't understand the math of "Defense" and "Attack Power," you will get wrecked.
The game uses small numbers. Dealing 5 damage is a huge deal. Taking 2 damage is a problem. Because the numbers are small, every single point matters. It’s a very transparent system. You can always see exactly why you lost, which is the hallmark of great game design.
The Legacy of Mario Story
It’s hard to overstate how much this game influenced the future of Mario. It paved the way for the Mario & Luigi series on the Game Boy Advance and DS. It gave Bowser a personality beyond just "giant turtle who kidnaps women." In Mario Story, we got to play as Peach! We got to sneak around the castle and read Bowser’s diary. We found out he’s actually a bit of a dork who’s insecure about his weight and has a crush on the Princess.
This humanization of the cast is what made the series a cult classic. It turned icons into characters.
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- The Sound Design: Koji Kondo's influence is there, but the main composers, Yuka Tsujiyoko and Taishi Senda, created a bouncy, vaudevillian soundtrack that fits the "stage play" vibe perfectly.
- The Toad Problem: Modern Paper Mario games are criticized for having too many generic Toads. In the original, Toads had different colors, outfits, and roles. There was a sense of diversity in the population that feels missing in newer entries.
- The Star Spirits: The plot involves rescuing seven Star Spirits. It’s a classic "MacGuffin" hunt, but each spirit has a distinct personality and a unique power that you can summon in battle. It added a layer of "Super Moves" that felt earned.
Honestly, the N64 era was a bit of a "Wild West" for Nintendo. They were experimenting. They didn't know what would stick. Mario Story Paper Mario stuck because it had soul. It didn't feel like a corporate product meant to check boxes; it felt like a group of developers having fun with the most famous IP in the world.
How to Experience the Story Today
If you want to play the original, you have a few options. The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack is the easiest way. It’s a solid emulation, though some purists still prefer the original hardware for the lack of input lag on those tight Action Commands.
Actionable Steps for New Players:
- Focus on BP (Badge Points): When you level up, it’s tempting to dump everything into HP (Health). Don’t. Badges give you versatility. A high BP count allows you to adapt to any situation.
- Talk to Everyone: The NPCs in Toad Town change their dialogue after almost every major "Chapter" beat. The world-building is in the flavor text.
- Master the "Super Guard": While it’s more prominent in the sequel (The Thousand-Year Door), learning the timing of your defensive button presses in the first game is the difference between needing a mushroom every turn and walking through a dungeon unscathed.
- Don't Ignore "Peekaboo": This badge lets you see enemy HP without having to waste a turn using Goombario’s "Tattle" ability. It’s a quality-of-life game changer for first-timers.
The "Mario Story" isn't just a footnote in history. It’s the foundation of how Nintendo tells stories in the Mushroom Kingdom. It proved that you could take a platforming hero, put him in a turn-based world, and make it feel completely natural. Whether you call it Mario Story or Paper Mario, its influence is undeniable, and its charm is timeless.
Check the Nintendo Switch eShop or your local retro game store to find a copy. It holds up better than almost any other RPG from that era, mostly because it chose a timeless art style over the jagged polygons of its peers. Go save the Star Spirits. You won't regret it.